Do your diet results only last a few months?
Have you lost the same 15-20 pounds four or five times over the years?
Are you having trouble in your efforts to lose weight and get lean?
Is exercising and diet not working off those extra pounds?
Do you have a sweet tooth 30 minutes after you eat?
Have you been on a low fat diet?
Do you think eating fats will make you fat?
Are you getting enough protein in your diet?
Do you have sugar cravings?
Are starches like rice, potatoes, bread or pasta calling your name?
Are cravings or urges like “ice eating” or perhaps had the urge to eat some dirt on your mind ?
Do you sometimes stop on the way home from work to buy a pickle or chips?
…………….
If you are nodding right now then read on.
Few things sabotage a diet more than an uncontrollable appetite.
If we are hungry we are going to eat!
Will power and discipline will only get you so far.
Don’t get me wrong; You need a plan, but what works?
Good News: You are not alone and I can help.
3 key things can cause inappropriate hunger
1) Pica due to a lack dietary minerals [“Cribbing “in animals] 2) Insufficient dietary fat 3) Lack of dietary protein and amino acids
Put another way. If you don’t get enough minerals, protein and fat you will stay hungry!
~Minerals
There are three categories of minerals [based on amount required] A) Major minerals [calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, sodium, potassium and chloride] B) Trace minerals [chromium, zinc. copper, manganese, iron, iodine, and selenium to name a few] C) Ultra-trace mineral [nickel, boron, cobalt, silicon, fluoride, vanadium and molybdenum plus more]
If we are lacking ANY of these minerals we develop Pica or cravings, some mild, others voracious.
Some people eat ice [pagophagia], others dirt [geophagia], while most just eat unneeded extra snacks or even meals.
Chromium, a trace mineral, if lacking leads to sugar cravings. It is necessary for insulin to work properly. Without enough chromium – insulin’s effect is blunted, so extra insulin is created [insulin is a potent appetite stimulant, perhaps the strongest]
FYI: Sugar depletes B vitamins and minerals alike, avoid it where you can.
In order to get enough minerals we must supplement our diets.
To recap:
We use fertilizer to make crops grow [NPK is 3 minerals –nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium – we need around 60]
It has been reported that in just 7 years of farming, with or without NPK, there is significant depletion of mineral content in the soil and plants alike. Early symptoms include frail, unhealthy plants and unhealthy/infertile animals that eat this food.
BTW – flooding, historically, replenishes minerals. We started using NPK about 100 years ago and levees about the same time [preventing flooding].
Side note: We are not designed to eat rocks. We are supposed to get our minerals from plants and/or animals that have eaten vegetation. Rock like minerals [like calcium carbonate] are about 3% absorbed where minerals from plants are colloidal and 98% absorbed, a big difference!
Take home message: Our farmland’s soil is depleted of minerals. Plants cannot make minerals. You cannot rely on diet alone for your minerals.
~Lack of Dietary fat
For years we have been told that fat is bad for you.
There is good evidence that this is not true.
There are exceptions like “Trans fat” [margarine or hydrogenated oil] which has been associate with heart disease in a number of studies.
For our purposes here I will say this:
Saturated fat gives satiety or a sense of fullness. [animal fat, butter, eggs and coconut oil]
Saturated fat is rendered harmless with adequate omega 3 oils intake.[flax, fish and or krill]
Dietary cholesterol does not make your blood cholesterol higher. [1994 AHA study with eggs]
Use moderation. Two eggs – a good choice, Ten eggs =700 calories :~)
~Lack of dietary protein and amino acids
If you don’t have adequate protein intake you will have craving for sugar/starches. The reason: our liver makes glucose out of protein if it is needed. If we are short on l-glutamine, an amino acid, the symptom is a sugar craving. Conversely, taking l-glutamine will stop sugar cravings. [usually 2-3 grams of l-glutamine will work]
Our goal should be to get 20-30 grams of protein per meal. Some people need a lot more but few need less.
Foods sources include two key categories: Animal and Plant sources.
Animal proteins provide all 20 amino acids in balanced, proportional amounts.
I recommend animal protein as your main source.
Plant sources are famous for missing one or more key essential amino acids [Soy has very little methionine, an essential amino acid and Corn lacks tryptophan, also essential]. When any “Essential” nutrient is missing or deficient there will be symptoms. It is worth noting that methionine is important for healthy joints.
If you are a vegan or vegetarian be sure to learn about what vegetables to combine to better achieve the proper amino acid balance. I’m not a big fan soy protein, but if you like it that’s ok; soy should be less than 25% of the protein you consume to avoid amino acid imbalance.
In summary, an inappropriate appetite is one of the biggest problems for dieters everywhere.
The good news is that if we correct the underlying problems there can be lasting weight loss and healthfulness, not a series of Yo-yo diets.
Here are a few recommendations
Try to cut back on sugars and starches by half, if not more, while increasing lean protein sources [including eggs].
The more colorful the vegetables the BETTER, but avoid starchy items [rice, potatoes, pasta, bread and corn]
Fruits are good to eat within reason [one apple, an orange or banana] but fruit juices are best avoided except in small amounts.
Artificial sweeteners are controversial in general [no need for lecture], but Stevia is natural and a decent choice, give it a try.
Coffee is ok [two cups per day]. It is best to use milk or real cream to cancel out the phytates [natural phosphorus that binds calcium] found in coffee. Un-sweetened Tea is ok as well.
Use butter and olive oil to cook [avoiding other vegetable oils which are rich in Omega 6 oils]
Supplements to consider:
1) Get a good multiple vitamin/mineral product. Versions with “Chelated” minerals are best. I also like those with some plant based vitamins.
2) Take a quality Calcium product. Look for MCHA as the calcium source and one that includes Magnesium, vitamin D and some assorted trace minerals.
3) Take Omega 3 oils. Flax oil is the best to start. Adding Krill or fish oil later [BTW – Krill oil in the container has a distinctive odor – if you place 3-4 desiccant packs in the bottle and refrigerate it, the odor is gone in 12 hours]
4) Find a good Colloidal mineral product for trace minerals. Make sure it’s from Humic shale and NOT ionic minerals. Humic shale is the fossilized remains of the dinosaur days – plant based and 98% absorbed.
5) Consider taking a chromium supplement. Chromium picolinate 200mcg twice a day is a good place to start. The EPA set toxicity for chromium @ 70,000 mcg. The most I recommend is 1,200 mcg per day in divided doses.
6) Get some l-glutamine [powder or capsules, avoid tablets –slower absorption]. 2-3 grams usually stops sugar cravings/”sweet tooth” symptoms quickly. Some will take it twice a day and as needed, others just as needed. It is 100% non-toxic.
Please feel free to ask questions via message or comment.
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